That Smell

This Monday Loralie called me about mid morning. She said that our dog had cornered a skunk under the back deck. The dog got out but not before the skunk sprayed a bit. Missed the dog. Hit the deck. Hit the foundation of the house.

So began a process of pulling up decks boards and putting a light under the deck for 24 hours a day. I did see the beady little eyes reflecting back at me once but there has been no sign of it now for several days. So time to button everything back up and get things back to normal.

As is normal in situations like this the skunk came at a bad time. It was an hour before Loralie was having people over for the day. She ran out for more candles and air freshener. And it was the start of my busiest and roughest week of the year (week before school starts). But her friends were good about it and I managed to survive the week(barely).

I did learn from one of the guys who works for me that a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda mixed with a little liquid soap cuts the skunk smell when his dog gets sprayed. And his dog gets sprayed all the time (I think I would get a new, smarter dog). Anyway, I tried spraying that (minus the liquid soap) under the deck. And it really cut the smell. Details of the specific solution for those interested can be found on the Internet.

But every once in a while I will still get a whiff of that distinctive odor. And I have been struck by how much that is like life.

You see I have these faults and issues. And I am sure that you have your own set so don't get too smug on me now. But as I work to clean up those faults and issues sometimes I am just covering up the smell with candles and air spray. And the odor keeps coming back.

But if I work to the root of the problem (which is almost always me) and with outside help, those issues and faults can be washed away. Sometimes that faint whiff comes back to remind me of where I have been and where I don't want to go again.

And sometimes I just flat fall down in the stink and have to get cleaned up all over again...

Foundation

Yesterday we went to church and heard an excellent sermon about the two builders. One built the house on the rock and was able to stand the storms that came while the other built his house on an unstable foundation and lost it when the storms came.

After church we worked outside most of the day. Loralie was hauling rocks and pulling weeds while I started to work on the green house.

Yes a green house. We purchased a small kit green house that will lean up against the south side of the house. This is a small project and we don't need a permit it qualifies as a shed according to the city and since it is attached to the house we don't need home association approval. Loop hole to take advantage of.

We also got a base kit to help keep the green house off the ground. I had several options to put the base on. One was pour a concrete pad, another was to use bricks or pavers and another was to put in concrete corner posts.

But I want the thing to stand up to the wind that we get here in Kansas. So most of my day was spent doing calculations, digging footers and framing in the concrete foundation. And running to the local orange box store for concrete and lumber.

I'm a slow learner sometimes. It wasn't until I was talking with my neighbor about the project and I said: "I decided to go ahead and put in a footer so the green house won't shift" that I realized this was exactly what the sermon in the morning was about.

And I also realized that all too often I take shortcuts in building my foundation, shortcuts that weaken it and weaken my walk with God. I have to do it right so that when the storms come, I won't be blown off course.

Now I have to hope that the rain holds off tomorrow so that I can pour the foundation...

The Week Past

Been an interesting week.

Loralie attended the National Worship Leaders Conference over at Church of the Resurrection. I was able to watch several of the speakers on live streaming over the web. Very good. I saw and heard David Nasser for the first time. What a powerful and entertaining speaker! He is an Iranian Christian who used to be a Muslim.

Went to lunch on Thursday with Loralie and bought David Nasser's book. Really good stuff. Lots to chew on.

Loralie saw a bunch of good worship leaders and heard a whole bunch of powerful workshop leaders. Good stuff.

And today we walked the two miles to church and heard a video by Andy Stanley about how God is enough. Another powerful message. and then we walked the two miles home.

Nice to have so much preaching and solid music. Really encouraging all the way around. It is weeks like this where the encouragement comes in loads that I need sometimes when things are tough.

Two Churches

We went to church on Saturday night. We had never been to this church before. It was the stereotypical Missouri synod Lutheran church service. Lots of people sitting in back. We sat toward the front.

Sang every verse of every hymn. Except for the last one since we were over time and then it was just the first and last verses so that we could get out of there. The sermon was OK. But we left with the feeling of being "unfilled".

Sunday morning I got up early and went for a run. 'Twas hot and humid. As I ran I prayed. I knew that I should go to church on Sunday so I decided to go to the nearby nondenominational church that we have visited several times. I showered and cleaned up ate breakfast and headed off to the early service.

Got there just in time for the praise band. And they played a couple of old standby hymns. The violin was a nice accompaniment. Lots of joy. And a great sermon on temptation that compared the lives of Joseph (Old Testament one) with the life of Jesus. Compared the temptation that Joseph faced from Potiphar's wife with the temptation Jesus faced from satan after 40 days inthe wilderness. Practical application points at the end. Followed by communion.

God worked me over. Lot's of prayer.

Right at the end of the service I had the distinct impression of: "It is well with my soul."

Quite the difference from the feeling of the night before. And a great Father's Day present.

I have to be careful though. Feelings can deceive. I need to listen to the voice of God speaking through His Holy Spirit and follow the direction that I can discern. And thats not what I want to discern, its what I can discern.

For the road is narrow...

Rain Barrel

This last Saturday we went out to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to look around. While there we bought a rain barrel kit. And we had a free hot dog, chips and iced tea.

Saturday afternoon, I put it in place and put it together. Then I waited for rain. And I waited. Prior to Saturday it rained eight days in a row. Finally, early this morning, it rained. A third of an inch. And the barrel overflowed. It is placed under the shortest length of gutter on the house.

Later this morning it poured again. But the barrel is not any fuller than it was before. It is just as full as it was and will remain so until I empty something out.

I'm reminded of our Christian life. God gives us a little and it is enough. We need to empty some out so that he can put something back in. Otherwise we will just sit in place slowly going stale and moldy.

So our goal is to empty ourselves to others. We have to look for those places that need water and be ready to give water.

And be ready and available to be filled again.

Walk

So this morning, before the sun came up, I went for a walk. The creek was running full over the small waterfalls after the half inch rain over night.

After work I went for a run in the 74 degree fall day with the wind out of the northeast. I guess it is still spring but it sure feels like fall.

After I grilled up the Shoyu Chicken that Loralie had made and we had a great dinner on the deck, I took Nikki (our dog) for a walk.

I was about 3/4ths of a mile in and deep in prayer. The Lord has laid a couple of things on me lately that I need to deal with. I was cruising along when I noticed out of the corner of my eye an older man struggling with a large trash can. Tomorrow is trash day (remind me to get the trash out tomorrow).

His cane was getting in the way. I was just about past him when I realized that I needed to at least ask him if he would like me to help him out with the trash can. He was really grateful. So Nikki (our dog) and I ran the can down to the street. Its one of those large ones that have to be placed in the correct position.

Then Nikki (our dog)and I continued on our way.

And it struck me. How many other times have I been so wrapped up in doing ministry that I miss the opportunity to minister to someone who needs it?

I could have just kept on walking wrapped up in my own prayers and thoughts and missed the opportunity to help someone in need.

I have to be more open to those opportunities.

And next time I have to spend a little more time talking with the person I am trying to help...

Hitting Home

So it has finally come home to roost.

Up to now it has been kind of abstract and distant.

But today, I found out that some friends have disconnected their home phone and business line and have their house on the market. They have been been building houses for years and the market has dried up to almost nothing in the high end houses that they built. And they have three houses to sell.

There were no building permits issued in Overland Park last month for new construction.

So what is the upshot of this? The electrician doesn't wire any new houses, the finish crews don't put in trim, the painters can't paint, the roofers don't get paid to roof and plumbers don't run pipes. And lumber yards don't move product. And these people don't spend money on other things. And the impact expands.

So it is time to pray for those in similar situations...